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Amp Camp Amp


JohnA

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Guest wdecho

Some diy'ers like myself just build for a hobby. I built one of the early versions even though I have many of the full Firstwatt clones. Not saying this is the case here. It could be it was not enough power for the builder or other reasons. Sounds like a good deal for someone wanting to test the waters of Class A SS for not a lot of money considering the cost of any class A SS amplifier. The seller has a 100% selling rating. But then the quality of the build depends on the abilities of the builder. 

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Guest wdecho
27 minutes ago, jwc said:

So amp camp is already sold out?

 

https://diyaudiostore.com/collections/newest-releases/products/amp-camp-amp-kit?variant=7072933085218

 

I apologize for my laziness....I have not read through the DIYaudio forums....but was there any conclusion of which version of FirstWatt is V1.6?

 

 

The design has gone through some mods I would guess over the years. I really have not keep up with the Amp Camps that much being I jumped right into the water on my first Firswatt clone of the Aleph30. The Amp Camp kit was designed from the beginning to be a first timer build wanting to try diy with a class A amplifier. Not for ultimate specs or sound but really decent sound from what I heard with my Amp Camp build. I have a much improved version of a single ended amplifier in the BA-1 build of mine that is similar with many more output devices and refinements. The Amp Camp will compare to a SE tube amplifier but SS instead. Simple circuits with few parts. There is just one transistor contributing to the sound so as Nelson says it 'one transistor clapping'.

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5 hours ago, jwc said:

So amp camp is already sold out?

 

https://diyaudiostore.com/collections/newest-releases/products/amp-camp-amp-kit?variant=7072933085218

 

I apologize for my laziness....I have not read through the DIYaudio forums....but was there any conclusion of which version of FirstWatt is V1.6?

 

 

First batch of new kits sold out but they don't ship until 7-31. Don't see how any Ebay offering could therefore be one of the new ones.

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19 minutes ago, babadono said:

First batch of new kits sold out but they don't ship until 7-31. Don't see how any Ebay offering could therefore be one of the new ones.

I was wondering that myself. I think they are completely sold out now.

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Just for clarification. I went to the linear PS due to noise/output issues. The SMPS was sooooooooo noisy the amp was unable to reach full power. 

On my Bench supply it worked perfectly. The Linear supply at 19V or 24V will achieve the same result. Many previous ACA kits swapped in the 24V SMPS... prob performed better. 

All that said, I think its a great kit. If one is willing to upgrade to a linear supply they will get a Pass reference level amp for peanuts. 

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1 hour ago, DizRotus said:

Or even worse . . . one of these.  A slightly modified one of which sounds pretty darn good powering the HIPs.  It's in the small black box with a Pono player sitting on top.

 

 

 

Screenshot (6).png

 

B3DB2ECF-D25E-4119-A25D-5BA69366ED81.thumb.jpeg.60faaf3867f9f467e0a6ad84d3b10a7b.jpeg

 

I have one of these in an amp I built on my office desk to power my KG 5.5s. Its not as warm compared to the Lepai 2020A+ but overall a nice little amp. I just wish they didnt stick the RCA input right by the volume pot though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Guest wdecho
3 hours ago, twk123 said:

I was wondering that myself. I think they are completely sold out now.

There was a first offering that sold out quickly. There have been a number of completed new version Amp Camps built already. Judging by the case it is one of the first offerings and is the new Amp Camp. There is not a lot of difference inside on the board, maybe one resistor change, I forget exactly what. The change was mainly going to a better 24V switcher and a stereo version vs mono builds. Old mono builds can go to 24V with better performance that will match the new version. 

 

Like Justin I prefer a linear supply but a good Meanwell switcher should have much better performance than the cheap laptop switchers in the first kit. I use to have disdain for switching supplies but they are becoming the norm in many amplifiers now. When you get into 25 and up watt class A amplifiers you really need to use a linear supply if you want best performance and longevity. 

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Since the Amp Camp appears to be sold out for now, this gentle hi-jack will serve as a bump to keep the thread alive until Amp Camp is back in session.

 

I know what you mean @twk123 about the connectors and volume pot.  Rich, @rhing, got me started down this slippery slope.  The little amp now in the case is pictured below after the TRS input and pot were removed.  At Rich's suggestion a larger power supply cap and new Radio Shack ( remember those days) blue coupling caps were installed.  A Sure digital stereo volume control replaced the cheap pot.  The Sure volume control cost 4 times what the amp cost.  It's the very definition of stone soup.  After all, I like the sound better than a Lepai TA2020 I used to have.

 

 

7297 and Pono.jpg

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Anyone know of any good USA made linear power supplies that would power the ACA ?  I snapped up a 2nd pair of ACA monos a local fella was selling on what I thought was a great price, I have test played them with my current power supplies and the sound fine, I mainly bought them as a backup but I do have the B-1 Preamp just setting on a shelf and with the proper power supplies I could build a 2nd system around a pair of DIY speakers I am also looking at.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Just completed my ACA Version 1.6 ordered off first offering. Works nicely, very clear and loud enough to satisfy me. Degree of difficulty is understated. Three hours completion time? Shoot, maybe for second time through. Fear of goofing up wiring with all the double and triple checking coupled with not real good design for assembling the box, 4 screws hard to start straight and can result in cross threading, caused me to quadruple the estimated assembly time. Not an amateur with electronic DIY...have done many DynaCo and Heath kits, even a color TV, albeit in the 60's, but you should take the estimated assy time with a grain of salt.

 

Other than that, quite happy with it, for the short time I have been operating it.

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5 hours ago, ishwash said:

Just completed my ACA Version 1.6 ordered off first offering. Works nicely, very clear and loud enough to satisfy me. Degree of difficulty is understated. Three hours completion time? Shoot, maybe for second time through. Fear of goofing up wiring with all the double and triple checking coupled with not real good design for assembling the box, 4 screws hard to start straight and can result in cross threading, caused me to quadruple the estimated assembly time. Not an amateur with electronic DIY...have done many DynaCo and Heath kits, even a color TV, albeit in the 60's, but you should take the estimated assy time with a grain of salt.

 

Other than that, quite happy with it, for the short time I have been operating it.

More on this: Moved the ACA to my LaScala II's. It's max sound setting (being fed Spotify by my cell phone) is a bit too quiet. Sitting in the room with the speakers volume is only acceptable, but not in the next room. Perhaps I listen to my music a bit too loud, but that's the way I like it. MDW tells me I need to turn my music up too, so I do listen loud.

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Ive tried the original spec and the revision... biggest difference was total power out. 

The original power supply was terrible. If you look on the DIY audio forums... this mod had been around for a long time... perhaps as a workaround for the poor performance of the 19V?

The amp section is incredible, but the laptop supply leaves much to be desired. Building a linear supply is pretty simple but if willing to do so, perhaps the F5 or F6 would be a better choice.

I left such endeavors to ebay as I have. Regulated linear supply was my ticket. 

The orig ACA were monos... love that. The current ACA is a dual mono single box unit. which can be doubled for monos. 

 

In short... if wanting a project... the ACA is definitely a hot ticket. 

If wanting reference sound... need to upgrade the power supply.

For must of us, a 5-8watt amp is all we would need... the rest is sonic presences. 

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Guest wdecho
11 hours ago, ishwash said:

More on this: Moved the ACA to my LaScala II's. It's max sound setting (being fed Spotify by my cell phone) is a bit too quiet. Sitting in the room with the speakers volume is only acceptable, but not in the next room. Perhaps I listen to my music a bit too loud, but that's the way I like it. MDW tells me I need to turn my music up too, so I do listen loud.

With LaScala's  you should have more than enough power. Are you just using your cell phone and not going through your preamplifier? If so the low volume is because of not enough gain. With most power amplifiers a preamplifier is needed to drive the amplifier to full output, typically 2V. Years ago before SS 5 watt amplifiers with horns filled auditoriums. I built the ACA's for experimentation and had no problem with not enough power with my LaScala's and I am accused of listening too loud by my friends and family. Average or slightly larger than average size room. Most computers, what many use with a DAC, only has on average 1V of gain. Not enough to drive most power amplifiers to full output. A preamplifier is needed. 

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11 hours ago, justinsweber said:

Ive tried the original spec and the revision... biggest difference was total power out. 

The original power supply was terrible. If you look on the DIY audio forums... this mod had been around for a long time... perhaps as a workaround for the poor performance of the 19V?

The amp section is incredible, but the laptop supply leaves much to be desired. Building a linear supply is pretty simple but if willing to do so, perhaps the F5 or F6 would be a better choice.

I left such endeavors to ebay as I have. Regulated linear supply was my ticket. 

The orig ACA were monos... love that. The current ACA is a dual mono single box unit. which can be doubled for monos. 

 

In short... if wanting a project... the ACA is definitely a hot ticket. 

If wanting reference sound... need to upgrade the power supply.

For must of us, a 5-8watt amp is all we would need... the rest is sonic presences. 

Well, maybe you need to add preamp requirement to the considerations too. It's a good unit as an amp, but nowadays many, many people are using cell phones and computers as their preamp, so if the output from a cell or computer is not sufficient for these little guys (as @wdecho says in his post following your post, and I don't doubt him for a moment), then the needed stand alone conventional preamp is a fairly significant item. Using the 24 volt power supply with its giant battery and cabling and having to have a conventional preamp with its cabling to get louder music puts us sort of back to having cables running everywhere, doesn't it?

 

I very much like the no tone or balance and loudness and volume controls of this little ACA beauty, but if a power supply mod and a preamp are needed, then....anybody want to buy mine...chuckle...

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